Pr. Mark Maunula Trinity Lutheran Church, Isle, MN
3/1/17 - Ash Wednesday - Sermon series on the 2nd article of the Apostles' Creed Jesus is Lord (S1a). Apostles Creed Sermon #1. Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. What is a lord? If we use a dictionary definition we will speak of someone who has authority, control, or power over others. They are like a master, a chief, or a ruler. This idea clearly describes earthly rulers and lords. The word lord also is a British title for someone having control over a certain area of land. And for $1250 plus a small transaction fee, I can make you a Lord over a parcel of land in England. Sadly, the small parcel of land you will acquire will not include any people over whom you will rule. Lordship sounds good to us when we are the boss-when we are in control. This is how lordship works in the way of the law. Regrettably, this is how we are tempted to view the saying, "Jesus is Lord." We can think only in terms of the law. So, Jesus is simply the boss and we are His servants. Yes, Jesus is Lord, in that He rules over all things. Yes, Jesus is Lord, in that He deserves all honor and praise. Yes, Jesus is Lord, in that He can tell us what to do. But that is not the primary way Jesus would have us think about Him. Jesus does not ask you to make Him Lord of your life. He already is your Lord-not based on how you look on Him, but how He looks on you. We merely confess Him to be our Lord. It's a statement of faith. So, if we think primarily of Jesus in terms of the Law and what would Jesus do, then we are looking at the wrong Jesus. This type of wrong thinking is also the reason for the abuse of headship in a family. The husband is the head of the family. Society would like to tell you otherwise because it thinks of headship primarily in terms of the Law. So, men also have twisted the term headship so they act like a lord-a master, a chief, a ruler. But as we see in Jesus, the title, "lord," has a totally different connotation. And seeing Jesus as Lord will help us understand the verse: "For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the Head of the church, His body, and is Himself its Savior." Under the Law, we could never say, "Jesus is Lord." Our sinful nature is always trying to convince otherwise, saying, "I am my own lord. I make my own decisions. I follow my own will." Then the devil and the world will try to convince us further that this is the right way to go-that we are worth it and that we deserve it. And following such thinking, would leave us only in our sin. And the wages of sin is death. "No one can say, 'Jesus is Lord' except in the Holy Spirit." This is a confession of faith-not a demand on the soul. When the Holy Spirit works repentance and faith in us, we are saved-by grace, through faith, in Jesus Christ alone. It is then that you recognize that Jesus is Lord-and more precisely, "Jesus is your Lord." You recognize and confess all that He did to become your Lord. We are looking at the Apostles' Creed in this season of Lent. We confess-we believe "in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord." The rest of the second article of the creed is meant to help us understand Lord, in terms of the Gospel and not the Law. Jesus is Lord because He was conceived and born. Jesus is Lord because He suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried. Jesus is Lord because He descended, rose, ascended, sits at the right hand of God, and will come again to judge. Jesus is Lord in the Gospel sense because this is what He did for you. You haven't made Him Lord. He freely made Himself your Lord by serving you. Jesus didn't come to subjugate us-to make us His subjects. Rather, we are His objects-the objects of His love, the objects of His actions. He lived, died, and rose for you. His actions are the most important thing for you. His work shows you how He became your Lord. And because they are based on His work-they are a solid and sure foundation for your faith. Similarly, when we speak of husbands being the head of the household, that doesn't make his wife and children subjects to him. Rather, they are the objects of his love and work. His will should be acted out in what he does for them. That is true headship. That is true love. To go the way of the Law would be to threaten, intimidate, and make demands. Yet, the husband is the head of the family in the way of the Gospel. That means He is to love and serve his family. He is the subject-meaning he is the one doing the actions. His family are the objects-the objects of his love and service. "For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the Head of the church, His body, and is Himself its Savior." Jesus' glory is not that He rules over us. Rather, His glory was in the cross-suffering and dying for us. He paid the price for our disobedience-for living as if we are the boss, believing that we are in control, thinking we need to exert power over others. If making Jesus your Lord is about the Law, then we must confess that we have all failed in thought, word, and deed. Yet, Jesus is your Lord. He is your Lord because He "did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped." Rather, He "emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." He didn't come to subjugate you to His will. He came to subjugate sin, death, and the devil so that would no longer harm you. Rejoice, this day, because Jesus is your Lord-Your Savior. His work of salvation for you has made this most certainly true. In Jesus' name. Amen. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with God's people. Amen.
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